A Switch in Time
by SuzyLee
Summary: Post Chosen, begins in NFA and goes AU from there. Buffy has been having a strange and terrifying repeating dream, but none of the other Slayers seem to share it. Is it a Slayer dream or is it something more? Not as bad as summary honest
1. Chapter 1  One Last Goodbye?

_**Authors Note:** This is my first Buffy fanfic although I have written plenty of Harry Potter fanfiction before. Also I haven't written in 3rd person for a while now so please bare with me, I'm far more used to 1st person narrative at the moment. I know this beginning may seem pretty cliched, but I promise it's all just plot development to get me where I want to be, never fear a major plot twist is right around the corner :)_

**Disclaimer:** Three simple ways to tell if I own anything:

_a) Is Angel still alive or at least not evil which is the only time he was ever any fun (OK so maybe he died at the end of NFA but we don't _know_ that)  
b) Did Spike go back to Buffy?_

_c) Am I writing fanfiction (the clue is in the name)_

XD

Enjoy, reviewers and constructive critics always welcome and much appreciated.

**Chapter 1:  
One Last Goodbye?:**

_Rome-Italy:_

Buffy Summers was sleeping. The restless, dream filled sleep that had plagued her nights without relent for the past month. The dream was always the same. A dark alley way, shrouded in smog, filled with menacing shadows. The overwhelming sense of fear, not for herself but for another. And then, a burst of flame and the sound of her own desperate screams of terror and loss resounding in her ears. This scene would play itself out in her mind again and again, over and over, each time her screams would be louder, more intense would the emotions behind them become. Until, eventually, she would awake, shivering, her hair, damp with sweat, plastered to her forehead, her body wretched with unshed tears. The regularity of this night terror made her feel sure that it must be a Slayer dream. However, when she had asked Faith and Kennedy, as well as some of the trainees under her care, although they had all admitted that they had been experiencing the growing sensation that something was looming of late every one of them refuted the idea that they had been visited by any such nightly apparition.  
Awaking from another such visitation, Buffy stood and began pacing the room, determined to at last find some meaning in the dream. Nothing would come however, she sighed, what had she expected, some miraculous epiphany to suddenly present itself and the message to be laid bare before her. If Giles and the rest of his newly reformed Watcher's Council had been unable to wrest and coherence from it after an entire month it seemed unlikely that she would happen upon the answer at midnight by pure chance. But now she was awake, she could not return to slumber, and so she turned her mind to its other omnipresent occupant thought. Spike. She turned her hand over to gaze at the scared and burnt palm. Willow had offered to fix it, and Buffy knew that she could have made it good as new, as clean and smooth as it had once been. But she had refused. It was the only thing she had left of him, strange as it may have sounded. Besides, even her Slayer healing had not touched the burn, which made her feel that it was a mark she was supposed to bare, just like the scar left by Angel on her neck. A constant reminder of what he had been to her, what he had done, for her, for the world. Absently she traced her fingers over the rough surface, closing her eyes and conjuring his image into her subconscious. "I love you"

_L.A.-California:_

_**'No you don't but thanks for saying it.'**_

Spike replayed his final words to her over in his mind. He'd been doing that a lot since Italy, trying to convince himself that they were true, that she hadn't loved him. But then he would remember that blazing look in her eyes as she had held his hand and uttered those simple yet so indefinably precious words, and his resolve would crumble, a seed of doubt sown.

"I want you all to do something for me, for yourselves. Take the day off." Angel's voice cut harshly through his memories, jolting him back into the here and now, the reality where Buffy was far away with the Immortal and he was here in L.A., with Angel of all people, about to die for the good of the world once again.

"What?" he asked taken aback.

"Angel, if we're planning to assassinate the power elite of the apocalypse tonight, shouldn't we be cowboying up?" Gunn said incredulously  
"We'll be ready, but today, I want you guys to go out. Live. Do whatever you want."  
And suddenly Spike knew what he had to do. No what two things. He had to say goodbye. 

He returned from the poetry slam a grin on his face, finally some appreciation for his talents. Over a hundred and twenty years of poetry had been divulged, spanning his three great loves, the shining light of Cecily when he himself had still been able to bathe in the light of day, his black beauty Dru and finally his greatest love of all, his purpose, his saving grace. Buffy. The grin slowly left his features as he set them. And now to finally lay that love to rest. He snuck into Angel's office, rummaged in the draws (funny he was sure Angel usually kept them locked, perhaps he had almost been expecting this of him) found what he was looking for, picked up the phone and began to dial. 

_Rome:_

At some point she had once again fallen into uneasy slumber. The dream had come to her once more-the most intense manifestation yet-this time she swore she saw a figure at the end of the alley way-silhouetted against the moonlight. Then came that burst of flame once more and as the light from it illuminated the passage the figure turned and she saw him-bleach blond hair, pale as milk and his lips moved, they called out one word, a name, her name, "Buffy".  
She shot awake. Distantly she made out the bleeping of her answer machine beside her bed. Absently, almost of its own volition, as if it knew something important was about to occur, her hand moved to hit the play-back. For a short while there was nothing but silence, in which she sat quivering with nervous excitement and fear at what she had seen. Then the still was broken by the sound of someone clearing their throat and that single word again. "Buffy." Her heart almost stopped at that, it was him, she'd know his deep reassuring voice anywhere, but there was more, she wrenched her attention back to the words and not just the joy of the intonation and characteristic rise and fall of his voice.  
"Hey luv, umm, its me. I know I went out in Sunnydale and well, I'd really love to tell you the wheres, wherefores and whys not to mention the all important hows of what I'm doing back in this world, but 'sides there really being no time I don't actually have a bloody clue myself. Anyway none of that matters anymore-this whole back-to-life thing, turns out its pretty short lived, but I just had to say...before...well anyway I just had to tell you one last time. I love you. And I know I've said it a thousand times before but, hey I've just realized that last time you stole my bit and well, there, maybe just once more for luck, hey you never know, maybe I'll find my way out, maybe. Oh God I love you and the lil bit so much and I just wish, I wish I'd come and found you instead of letting me dammed pride get in the way yet again. But you know I told you before, I follow my blood. But now, I've come to the end of the line, the final curtain and all that, and hey I'm doing a you and rambling cause I'm so bloody scared Buffy at least last time I had you there, to look at and let me know it was all worth while. Oh Angel says hi too, I'm sure he'd be here doing this himself and probably a hell of a lot more coherently at that, but he had some stuff of his own to sort out first. So anyway, I just had to say one last goodbye."

Buffy jumped to her feet, tears streaming down her face, terrified that she was already too late, but determined. "Dawn", she yelled, "pack some stuff. We're going to L.A."


	2. Chapter 2 Third Time Lucky?

**AN:**_I would like to say thank you to people who have reviewed it is very much appreciated :) Sorry this chapter took so long to write, I had a little bit of writers block combined with trying to get ready to go to Uni-hope you understand, next chapter is all planed out just need to put the flesh on the bones so to speak so should be up pretty soon. Thanks again for the reviews, any comments or critism for this second chapter would also be welcomed._

**Chapter 2:  
Third Time Lucky?**

The plane journey seemed to last for ever-well Buffy reminded herself she was traveling practically half way around the world, but of course it wasn't just that. It was amazing really she mused the ability of fear to transform her passage through time into an experience not unlike wading in syrup, except without the sugary goodness. Wow she thought, she must be scared that was defiantly a terrified Buffy ramble of an analogy, almost as bad as the weird cookie dough speech. It was funny though despite the awful slowness outside of herself her heart was beating about ten times faster than normal. She remembered the way Spike had laid his head against her chest, that last night in Sunnydale, and just lay listening intently to the rhythm of her heart, as though to reassure himself that it was still there. And how she had gently run her hands through his hair, whispering to him that she wasn't going anywhere and so wishing she could believe it herself..

Of course, in the end her murmured assurances had been true. She hadn't gone anywhere. But he had. And now she had found he was back, had been back for...well she didn't know how long, but evidently a while. Normally she's have been so angry with him for not letting her know, for leaving her to grieve for so long, and well a small part of her was. But it was pushed back and squashed into submission by the immediate and overwhelming dread at the thought that he might be about to martyr himself-again.

When they finally reached L.A. she quickly roused Dawn, who had fallen asleep once more during the journey, made her way through the terminus as swiftly as was possible and out into the dark, smoggy L.A. night. Once outside Dawn finally managed to draw enough breath to speak. Drowsily she asked, "Buffy, what exactly are we doing here-one minute I'm in my nice comfy bed in Rome, the next I'm grabbing some clothes, stuffing them into a suitcase to wake up in L.A"

"Dawnie, you know that dream I've been having, the one we've all been researchy over for months?"

"How could I forget, Giles had me raiding every book in the school library after hours looking for answers!"

"Well I know what its about, I've seen the end, and we, we got a phone call...well a message was left. It's...Dawnie, it's Spike. He's alive, but if my dream's right, and I'm pretty sure it is, then not for much longer. Not unless I stop it and soon. Whatever happens it happens tonight."

"But Buff, we don't even know where! I mean this is L.A. It would have taken long enough to search all of Sunnydale, but here! Where do we even begin? All your dream showed us was an alleyway and not to be funny or anything but that ain't exactly something L.A.'s lacking in!"

"We'll find them Dawnie. Don't worry, I can feel him."

Angel pounded down the alley behind the Hyperion. The rain beat down. Endless, relentless, grey curtains of water streaming from the heavens, maybe, he hoped, to cleanse the earth, maybe it was a sign. A sword was clasped in his hand as he ran, a pathetic symbol of the hope to which he clung with equal strength that somehow, anyhow, they would make it through this. He reached the chain-link fence at the end of the passage, walling him in and looked around searching for some sign of life or un-life other than himself. The rain continued to hammer down and, as he stood, there came a great clap of thunder, sundering the still of the night, an omen perhaps of the carnage that would surely follow. Then just as the last roll of thunder died away, he heard a voice from the shadows.

"Boo" Spike emerged from the darkness. Oh great thought Angel, please God don't say he's the only one-honestly was he actually indestructible? Even the end of the world couldn't seem to rid him of his grand-childe. And yet at the same time a great wave of relief flooded over him at the sight of the 'bleached wonder', at least he wouldn't be going out alone.

"Anyone else?" was all that he managed to actually say.

"Not so far." Spike replied, "You feel the heat?"

"Its coming"

"Finally got ourselves a decent brawl" added Spike with his trademark smirk firmly in place, though Angel could see that it was strained, beneath it all he knew Spike was just as terrified as he was. Not that either of them would ever admit that, and certainly not to each other. Not even now.

At that moment Gunn appeared, running down the alley towards them, battle axe in hand. "Damn! How did I know the fang boys would pull through?" he called out. As he got nearer they saw that his steps became more uncertain, he was weakening fast. Still as ever he kept up the bravado "You're lucky we're on the same side, dogs, 'cause I was on fire tonight." And then finally giving into pain he intoned weakly "My game was tight." He almost collapsed after that, saved only by the lightening reflexes of the two vampires as they caught him and guided him over to a box on which he could sit.

Spike surveyed Gunn's wounds with concern and remarked dryly "You're supposed to wear the red stuff on the inside, Charlie boy." Gunn looked vaguely down, but all he said was "Any word on Wes?" At those words Illyria arrived jumping down from the fence behind and taking her place beside Angel. Abruptly she explained that Wesley was dead and stated in her straightforward to the point manner that she wished to "do more violence". A few more empty exchanges passed between the gang, in a last ditch attempt to lighten the pitch black mood of the situation as the demon hordes began their approach. Finally Spike breached the question of a plan.  
"We fight" replied Angel.

"Bit more specific." asked Spike hopefully.

Angel took a step forwards, preparing himself, steadying his nerves. "Well, personally, I kind of want to slay the dragon." And swinging his sword up in front of him he added "Let's go to work."

They hurtled through the streets of L.A. Buffy running swift as a deer, whilst Dawn tripped and stumbled along behind. She'd been in training recently. Giles had been preparing her to join the ranks of the Watchers but no amount of training on earth could allow you to keep up with a Slayer, especially a Slayer on a mission, especially a Slayer on a mission to save her boyfriend-well ex-boyfriend, sorta. Eventually Dawn settled on one with whom Buffy had an intense but insanely complicated and utterly confusing relationship. "Buff, Buffy, could you, you know, slow down a little, some of us...who are me right now don't have the whole Slayer thing going for them!"

Buffy turned and stopped, waiting for Dawn to catch her up, "You've got your mobile right?"

"Yeah course, wh--...Oh no, no way, you are not sending me away. Come on Buffy I'm a Watcher, or a Watching in training technically, but anyway, I can handle myself perfectly well. Giles says I did better even than him on my last exams."

"Look Dawn I don't have time to argue alright and that's exactly why I need you to go. The whole running out of time thing, I can't have you slowing me down. I know full well you can take care of yourself in a fight. I saw you take out that Chin-arn-a demon last week..."

"Chimera, and really?! Cause I wasn't sure that it was that good, not exactly text book with the elbowing and the..." She spotted Buffy's look "...Oh yeah the time thing, right. Whatcha want me to do?"

"Just go find a hotel room to stay in. I'll...I'll call you if..._when_...I've got him, alright?"

"Kay, I'll get two rooms though. No way am I sharing when you and Spike start making with the smoochies"

"Hey! Dawn, we won't be...I mean...well...I"

"Now who's wasting time with arguments they've already lost. Go rescue. Come back, make with the smoochies. Actually smile properly for the first time in months. Have fun."

And with that Buffy was off into the night, following the strange sense she was experiencing that seemed to guide her straight to Spike.

In the shadows of yet another deserted alley there stood a group of huddled figure. Nothing could be made out of their appearances, they all wore long, black, shapeless clocks and matching hoods, which hid both their faces and their outlines from prying eyes.

"Is it time?" Asked one, its voice was accentless, genderless and devoid of emotion, expression or intonation.

"Not yet but the time _is_ close. Soon the situational alignment will be close enough for us to begin the transfer" Replied an equally unindividualic tone, distinguishable from the previous only by the fact that it uttered a reply and that it came from a slightly different direction. "Soon shall the other be here and so shall we undo what has been done-so we shall restore the balance and so shall the scales be able to tip once again in their rightful direction. Ours."

Buffy didn't know how or why she could but what she's said to Dawn had been true. She could feel him. It has started the moment they'd landed in L.A. Thus strange absolute certainty that she knew where he was. Not that she could give a place name or directions, just where in the general sense. It worried her a little. Her vampire senses might have been good, but the were certainly not this good. She'd never been able to pin-point one individual, specific vampire before, let alone from miles away. It defiantly smelt of _otherworldly_ intervention alright. But for now, since it was leading her to him she was going to assume that whatever was behind this was friendly-or well-she quickly amended, not malevolent. She was wrong. But she could know that. Not yet at any rate.

There were demons everywhere, at every turn. There could be no escape. Spike swung his fists growling at his assailants. He was making relatively short work of most of the attackers, but it seemed to make little difference in the long run. As soon as one fell another seemed to appear instantly to take its place and the assault would begin anew. Bloody hell thought Spike, I'm beginning to wish we did have an amulet this time, although I think it's Peaches turn to wear it this time. That or we could do with Buffy being here right now. As his thoughts strayed to her she found a new vigor to his attack, taking down the demon wall faster than ever, in fact for the first time hat night be seemed to be making some headway. Imagining every one of those demons to be one of the many beings that has hurt Buffy he snarled into game-face and began to wage his own private war. Inside his head something sighed and out loud he muttered, "God help me Buffy, it's still all about you."

The could see the glow of fire ahead. Hear the clanging of metal, the sickening crunch of broken bones as bodies, whether friend or foe she could not yet tell, fell to the floor. She was near, so near. She rounded the next bend and turned into a dark, mist shrouded alley. Her heart began to pound so loud and so hard that it blocked out all other sound. The clouds shifted in the sky and a single shaft of moonlight illuminated the passage, throwing a distant figure at the very end into dark, shadowed relief. Her nerves jangled and a cold chill ran down her spine. She knew what happened next, she had seen it, everything was playing out exactly as her dream had shown. She began to run, barely aware of anything else around her, but determined to reach that silhouetted figure. She didn't have clue what she would do, how she could possibly hope to prevent what she had witnessed. In fact the one persistent bit bit of reason left to her insisted that she would accomplish nothing except securing her own demise as well as that of her love. But this was not the moment for reason or rational thought and she was close, so close. If she could just stretch out her hand, just touch him, then maybe he'd be safe. She did it, thrusting her hand forwards in a disparate clutching motion, and to her surprise she managed to grasp hold of his arm an unfounded and inexplicable sense of relief flooded her. And then he turned, and from behind him burst flames, red and orange and gold and terrible, all consuming. And his mouth open and that word formed one his lips, an utterance of surprise and relief and terror but most of all love, "Buffy?". And then the flames consumed him.


	3. Chapter 3 Send the FireAnd Make Us

**_Authors Note--I'm very sorry about how long it's taken to post this----I blaim the rediculous work load uni has been putting on us...however here it is and I really do promice this time to get the next chapter out in the next few undisturbed by work days :) Thank you for all your support on the first chapters its very much appreciated I hope this was worth the wait and that it sets up many, many questions to be answered later :P_**

**Chapter 3:**

**Send the Fire-And Make Us Fit to Live or Die**

Buffy screamed. A long drawn out scream of pain and terror and helplessness. She screwed up her eyes, partly due to the searing heat that was scorching her eyes, but mainly because some part of her still clung onto the desperate hope that when she opened them again she would find herself back in her bed in Rome. That this was once again simply a manifestation of her nightmare. But she knew in the blackest pit of her heart that it wasn't. The heat was too intense, the pain and terror too deeply ingrained to not be real. She forced her eyes open again, if he was going to leave her again she was going to make sure the last thing he saw was her looking into his eyes. He was still wreathed in flame...but that was when it hit her-he wasn't wreathed in it at all. The fire wasn't surrounding him. It was inside of him. She gave a start "What the hell!" He hand still clutched his arm tightly and she realised that it did not even feel the slightest bit hot. As she watched with startled amazement, the last vestiges of flame left him-and so, seemingly, did his strength, for he collapsed to the ground. A crumpled heap-and now that she looked-one that was glowing slightly was a pale white aura. She was ripped out of her shocked, transfixed state but the sudden sensation of his arm being wrenched out of her grasp. "Spike!" she called out his name, desperately, imploringly. She flung herself onto her knees beside him and reached a hand out to touch his cheek. At that moment he gave a great spluttering cough and, sitting up, wretched violently, which rather spoiled the moment.

Groggily Spike got to his feet. He stared in wonderment at the sight before him. Buffy. His Buffy. She was _really_ there. Well that or he _had_ died and this was heaven, either way he wasn't about to complain. He took a step forwards, smiling, reaching out towards her, she with a matching smile on her face. Then out of nowhere a fist came flying towards him and punched him in the nose. "Ow! Bloody hell Slayer, what was that for?!"

"Oh. Sorry, sorry. Kinda habit I suppose." She extended her hand out once more to caress his cheek, smiling apologetically. Suddenly the smile vanished to be replaced with her patented 'hacked off face' and her hand withdrew, though mercifully another blow did not fall. "Also, I'm seriously pissed off with you! You, not even calling, not even letting me know, letting me believe you were dead." She stated in a manner-of-fact tone, which scared Spike far more than if she had yelled. Yelling Buffy he knew how to deal with, calm anger was not so much his forte. Then, just as swiftly as she had turned to anger, she was in his arms, kissing him like there was no tomorrow, which he thought vaguely through the kisses there very well might not be. When she pulled back after what felt like a mere few seconds, but was probably more like five minutes of bliss, he grinned lopsidedly at her and whispered,

"Not that it's not a big improvement on the last reaction, but, confusing much"

She smiled at his use of a Buffyism, then her hand finally found its way to his cheek as she stated simply, "Ah, being pissed off is way over rated."

In the darkness _they_ watched. They were bone dry despite the continuing downpour. The wind was fearsome and yet their formless cloaks did not so much as flutter. They seemed imperious to this world and its forces. One turned almost imperceptibly in the pitch black of the night to speak to another. If it could have expressed such an emotion one would almost have thought they could hear _worry_ in the creature's voice.

"We do not understand. That was an unforeseen occurrence, he should have been saved by her."

"Yes, we do not understand it either. It must have been sent by..." the voice hesitated for a second and then proceeded in a low voice with was now almost undeniably fear "..._the others_. Yet we see no purpose. How can they imagine that it can change anything."

"It cannot" replied a third figure "it is of no consequence. It changes nothing. The plan must be implemented. We cannot fail." And with that the small group faded into the night.

They picked their way, hand in hand, through the carnage. Neither said a word, as they made their way through the mass of bodies at their feet. Both were frantically searching for some sign of human forms. They found none. They could not understand what had happened. The bodies seemed to smoke slightly, and they looked faintly charred, it seemed that a great blaze had swept through leaving destruction in its wake. It was odd though, not a building nor a tree not even the ground bore scorch marks, and none of the demon bodies which surrounded them showed any sign of being burnt on the outside. Like Spike it seemed the fire had raged within them. What was going on? "Gunn?" Spike called out, voice tinged with concern. She squeezed his hand gently and he returned the pressure. "Angel?" Spike yelled into the blackest night. Still there was no sign of life other than the two lone figures outlines etched in moonlight. Then from the right Buffy heard a wheezing cough and a groan. Tugging on Spike's hand to indicate that she had spotted something they began to move off in the direction of the sound. They found Gunn leaning against a wall, breathing hard, but he otherwise seemed unscathed. In fact, now that Spike thought about it he looked too well, "What happened to that mortal wound eh Charlie?" he asked lightly, but a frown creased his forehead.

"That's what I've been wondering replied Gunn. One minute I'm on my last legs, though," he added with a grin "I lasted a dammed site longer than Illyria reckoned I would, next thing I know theres this fire sweeping through everything. I watched as the demon in front of me burnt up from the inside. And then...then the flame was inside me. It went straight at my chest, burning at where the hole was and then well it died back and here I am. Good as new." Spike raised an eyebrow at Buffy and she nodded back in reply, whatever this was it sounded like the same thing that had been inside of him. They briefly filled Gunn in on what had happened in the alley. "Weird" said Gunn, "I just don't get why it burnt out all the demons and not us, I mean it healed me!"

"Where did it come from? That's what I want to know. Unless Angel had this up his sleeve the whole time and just neglected to mention it."

"Where is Angel anyways, you seen him yet?"

"No you were the first person we found." replied Buffy.

"Sorry kind of slow on the uptake, guess that's what happens with near dear experiences, you are?"

"Buffy" she answered.

"Ah course, should have guessed, the way fang boy junior over here was looking at ya."

"Much as I hate to interrupt this charming introduction session, shouldn't we be looking for the others."

Buffy gave him a slight grin, "I don't believe this, you're actually worried about Angel! My God are we sure the world hasn't actually ended."

Spike scowled, "Hey this is just for your benefit pet. And alright he is my Grandsire, family gotta stick together. Even me and 'hair-gel'."

"Come on then" sighed Gunn rising to his feet, "lets make with the search party"

"You think we should split up?" inquired Buffy.

"I guess, you and Spike want to take over here, I'll search the rest OK? Give us a shout if you find anyone."


End file.
